Citizen science projects are expanding globally, with the African continent, particularly Nigeria, registering significant growth. Here, we document and analyse novel operations of the Nigerian Bird Atlas Project (NIBAP), 2015–2022. This project has employed the use of ornithologists, mainly trained at the A. P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI) located in Jos, Nigeria, and its 28 bird clubs established across Nigeria to enlist 827 bird enthusiasts that contribute regular and near real‐time data about bird distribution and relative abundance in the country. Interestingly, NiBAP has recorded about 75% of the bird species known from Nigeria in only about 50% of Nigeria's total surface area, including 39 nationally threatened species. The Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus, Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis, and Grey‐backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brevicaudata were the most commonly recorded species, while Amurum Forest Reserve, Rennajj Fish Farm, and Obudu Cattle Ranch were the most surveyed sites during the period. Thus, our approach reveals how to increase involvement of nature enthusiasts, ornithologists, and a regional research institute to build local capacity and contribute rich information necessary to alleviate the lack of distributional data about Afrotropical avifauna. We strongly recommend our approach to boost other citizen science projects across Africa and beyond to address the huge lack of biodiversity data, create public awareness, and foster conservation education.

中文翻译：

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公民科学缓解了尼日利亚鸟类分布数据的缺乏

公民科学项目正在全球范围内扩大，其中非洲大陆，特别是尼日利亚，增长显着。在此，我们记录并分析了 2015 年至 2022 年尼日利亚鸟类图谱项目 (NIBAP) 的新颖运作。该项目聘请了鸟类学家，他们主要在位于尼日利亚乔斯的 AP Leventis 鸟类学研究所 (APLORI) 及其在尼日利亚各地建立的 28 个鸟类俱乐部进行培训，以招募 827 名鸟类爱好者，他们定期提供有关鸟类的近乎实时的数据。该国的鸟类分布和相对丰度。有趣的是，NiBAP 在仅占尼日利亚总表面积约 50% 的区域内记录了尼日利亚已知鸟类的约 75%，其中包括 39 种国家濒危物种。普通鹎须鹳, 笑鸽塞内加尔螺蛳和灰背驼翅目短尾弯翅目是最常见的记录物种，而阿穆鲁姆森林保护区、Rennajj 养鱼场和奥布杜牛牧场是该时期调查最多的地点。因此，我们的方法揭示了如何增加自然爱好者、鸟类学家和区域研究机构的参与，以建设当地能力并提供必要的丰富信息，以缓解非洲热带鸟类分布数据的缺乏。我们强烈建议我们采用这种方法来推动非洲及其他地区的其他公民科学项目，以解决生物多样性数据的巨大缺乏、提高公众意识并促进保护教育。